Sunday

Sep 8, 2019 at 9:50 PM

FOXBORO — There are plenty of doubts around the NFL when it comes to Antonio Brown.

The receiver forced his way out of Oakland, with the Raiders releasing him on Saturday. Hours later, Brown signed a one-year deal with the Patriots worth up to $15 million. One of the biggest questions now is whether or not the talented receiver will be able to stay out of trouble in New England.

According to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, Brown is entering the perfect situation with the Patriots and he’s ready to commit to Bill Belichick.

“I'll just tell you that the Patriots are obviously a very solid, strong organization," Rosenhaus said on ESPN’s "SportsCenter." “They do things the Patriots Way. They expect everyone to be accountable. They don't make any exceptions. I've discussed this with Antonio and he wants to be a Patriot. He's prepared to go there, fit in, work hard, be like every other player on the team, do what's asked of him, do his job and make it work. He's honored with the opportunity and he's looking forward to taking advantage of it."

Brown had a laundry list of issues in Oakland after the Raiders acquired him from Pittsburgh during the offseason. The receiver never did practice with the team after a mishap with cryotherapy, which resulted in his feet suffering frostbite. He missed practices and threatened to retire when the NFL banned his old and outdated helmet. The receiver also reportedly got into a heated exchange and threatened to hit Raiders general manager Mike Mayock.

Brown vented on Instagram, where he posted a letter describing a team fine he received, a video of a private phone call with coach Jon Gruden and later a post asking for his release.

There’s no denying that Brown has talent. He’s long been one of the best receivers in the NFL. He’s coming off his sixth-straight 1,000-yard receiving season. However, Belichick would never put up with those kinds of actions from anyone. Brown seems to know that and his agent believes he’ll be on his best behavior in Foxboro.

"Antonio had a robust free-agent market and certainly had a lot of options," Rosenhaus said. "But it was hard to compete with New England and that amazing opportunity, that great franchise, and play with one of the all-time greats, Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick."

"He wants to win a Super Bowl," Rosenhaus added. "It's a great opportunity for him to sign with a team that has dominated the football league for the past decade. It's a dynasty. The future is now for Antonio. This is an opportunity for him to do something that he hasn't been able to do in his illustrious career, which is win a championship. That's what he's looking forward to. That's immediately the goal. That's all he's thinking about right now."

Van Noy among inactives

The Patriots were without a couple of veterans as they opened the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night.

Van Noy is the biggest surprise out of that group. The linebacker was injured this offseason, but Van Noy has been present at practice and wasn’t on the injury report this past week. As it turns out, the absence isn't injury related.

According to ESPN, Van Noy and his wife are expecting a baby, which is why he wasn't at the game. With Van Noy out, the Patriots have Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts, Chase Winovich, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Shilique Calhoun at linebacker.

Patience pays off

Belichick was willing to give up a first-round pick to land Brown. Instead, the Patriots coach kept his draft pick and acquired the All-Pro receiver this weekend for $15 million.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the Patriots had offered the Steelers a first-rounder for Brown back in March. At the time, the receiver requested a trade and Pittsburgh talked to a handful of teams before shipping Brown to the Oakland Raiders for third- and fifth-round picks.

The reason the Steelers took the lesser offer? According to Mortensen, Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert didn’t want to trade Brown to a rival like the Patriots.

It became obvious that the Patriots were interested in him. A video of Brown talking with Rosenhaus during his final days as a Steeler. Rosenhaus told Brown the Patriots were “in the mix” during the ongoing trade discussions.

In the end, the Patriots used that draft pick on a receiver — N’Keal Harry. Now, they also have Brown. Sometimes, the chips just fall into place for Belichick and the Patriots.

The Patriots were without a couple of veterans as they opened the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night.

Van Noy is the biggest surprise out of that group. The linebacker was injured this offseason, but Van Noy has been present at practice and wasn’t on the injury report this past week. As it turns out, the absence isn't injury related.

According to ESPN, Van Noy and his wife are expecting a baby, which is why he wasn't at the game. With Van Noy out, the Patriots have Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts, Chase Winovich, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Shilique Calhoun at linebacker.

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